http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/175535517/beijing-shougang-lanzatech-new-energy-science-technology-company-earns-roundtable-on-sustainable-biomaterials-rsb-certification
LanzaTech's Joint Venture With Shougang Jingtang Iron and Steel
United Company and the Tang Ming Group, Earns First-Ever RSB
Certification for Waste-Gas to Biofuel Process
WASHINGTON, DC and BEIJING, CHINA -- (Marketwired) --
11/05/13 -- Beijing Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Science &
Technology Co., Ltd. and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials
Services Foundation, the implementing entity of the RSB, announced today
that Beijing Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Science & Technology
Co., Ltd. has earned RSB's sustainability certification for the joint
venture's facility that converts waste steel mill gases to sustainable
biofuels.
The RSB is a global sustainability standard and certification
system for biofuels and biomaterials production. The facility, which
utilizes LanzaTech technology, is the first RSB-certified biofuel plant
in China, and the first of its kind anywhere to receive this key
certification for industrial carbon capture and utilization.
"The joint venture uses a process that creates a
sustainable biofuel and does so by efficiently reusing greenhouse gases
that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere," said Peter
Ryus, RSB Services' CEO. "This solution, which does not impact the food
chain or land use, meets the RSB principles and practices and serves as
an example of how continued innovation in the industry will lead to
sustainable biofuels in the future. We are honored to be working with
LanzaTech and their joint venture partners on greenhouse gas reduction
and global sustainability improvements."
RSB certification shows the joint venture's commitment
to environmental improvements through a novel biological approach that
converts waste carbon emissions from steelmaking into biofuels and
chemicals. Using the RSB methodology and assumptions based on commercial
production, it is estimated that ethanol from the process may reduce
life cycle greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent compared to petroleum fuels.
In addition, the joint venture partners anticipate that
the process will improve local air quality by materially reducing
nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate emissions. The technology has the
potential of making a significant global impact by reusing up to 150
million tonnes of CO2 from the global steel industry alone.
The use of novel gas fermentation technology to convert
industrial waste gases into biofuels is aligned perfectly with the RSB
Principles and Criteria, which go beyond greenhouse gas emissions
reductions to focus on economic and social sustainability. By using a
widely available waste resource located in areas typically unsuitable
for agriculture, LanzaTech's process reduces overall emissions without
negatively impacting the food chain or causing land use changes. By
enabling the production of fuels from available steelmaking waste,
Beijing Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
will help China balance economic growth with sustainability, as well as
increase its supply of domestic biofuels.
RSB certification provides assurance that biofuels and
biomaterials deliver on their promise of sustainability. Beijing
Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Science & Technology Co., Ltd. chose
to work with RSB because of its rigorous sustainability standard,
auditing approach, and its broad acceptance. The RSB standard provides a
comprehensive approach that incorporates the standard with other
operational, management and physical standards such as ISO risk
management and environmental management to ensure every base is covered.
"The RSB certification is an incredibly important step
for the development of our commercial production facilities which we
expect to bring online in 2014," said Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of
LanzaTech. "In addition, we trust this certification will help
accelerate the acceptance of biofuels made through carbon capture
technologies and serve to showcase the possibilities opened up by
thinking of carbon emissions as an opportunity, not just a problem."
RSB is a preferred standard of major airlines globally,
including LanzaTech's partner Virgin Atlantic and the Sustainable
Aviation Fuel Users Group, an aviation industry-led coalition that is
supporting the development, certification, and commercial use of lower
carbon renewable fuels, derived from sustainable sources.
Virgin Atlantic President Sir Richard Branson previously
described the LanzaTech process as "one of the most exciting
developments of our lifetime and a major breakthrough in the war on
carbon." Reflecting on this latest development, he says "RSB's
certification of the Beijing facility is a crucial step to ensure this
revolutionary new fuel will meet the highest possible environmental
standards and will result in a radical reduction in our carbon
footprint."
Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive Craig Kreeger notes:
"Our partnership with LanzaTech is a key part of our Change is in the
Air sustainability program. Beyond our significant fleet upgrades and
our comprehensive fuel efficiency programme, this breakthrough
opportunity to pioneer away from fossil fuels offers us the best
possible chance of substantially reducing the carbon emissions
associated with our flying programme. Key to that has always been
ensuring that any new fuel meets the highest possible sustainability
standards, and we view RSB as the gold standard scheme to help us to
achieve this. We're excited and committed to help hasten the day when we
are using LanzaTech's RSB-certified fuel to power our aircraft."
The audit summary report is available on the RSB website,
www.rsbservices.org. The audit was conducted by SCS Global Services (SCS),
www.scsglobalservices.com,
a leading global provider of third-party environmental and
sustainability certification, auditing, testing, and standards
development for nearly 30 years.
About LanzaTech
LanzaTech is a leader in gas fermentation
technology. It provides novel and economic routes to fuels and high
value chemicals from waste gas streams. LanzaTech's unique process
provides a sustainable pathway to produce platform chemicals that serve
as building blocks to products that have become indispensable in our
lives such as rubber, plastics, synthetic fibers and fuels.
LanzaTech's technology solutions mitigate carbon
emissions from industry without adversely impacting food or land
security. With commercial facilities in China slotted for construction
in 2014, LanzaTech, a company founded in New Zealand, is now a global
organization. More information is available at
www.lanzatech.com.
About Shougang Group
Shougang Group is a large enterprise group founded
in 1919. While Shougang's main business is iron and steel, the Group is
also engaged in mining, machinery, electronics, construction, real
estate, services and international trading. Shougang has made great
progress, especially since economic reforms began in China 30 years ago.
Entering the new century, the steel industry is facing
unprecedented pressure and challenges, as well as unprecedented
development opportunities. Shougang has created a first class iron and
steel enterprise by actively promoting optimization of the industry's
structure, promoting continuous innovation and pioneering new product
development and production processes. Shougang has also changed its
traditional product line to produce high-grade sheet metal, an
historical change. In the past thirty years, Shougang steel's production
capacity has increased from 1.79 million tons to 12.19 million tons and
sales income has increased from 1.443 billion yuan to 132 billion yuan.
The Group has paid more than 57.66 billion yuan in tax revenue and has
made a significant contribution to the development of the modern Chinese
iron and steel industry. More information is available at
http://www.shougang.com.cn/shougang_cn_web/
About Tang Ming Group
Tang Ming Group Ltd was established in November
1999. It was successfully formed into a corporation with China Shougang
Group in 2003 to establish Shougang Tangming (Auckland) Corporation Ltd.
In 2011, Beijing Shougang LanzaTech New Energy Science & Technology
Co., Ltd was established in Beijing.
About RSB Services
The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB)
certification system helps farmers, feedstock processors and biomaterial
producers prove their sustainability to the world. Certified entities
demonstrate that their operations comply with ambitious yet practical
safeguards, including the protection of natural or rare ecosystems, food
security, and respect for human rights to land, water and decent work
conditions, and the management of water resources. With unmatched NGO
support, global market compatibility across all feedstocks, practical
guidance and tools for an ongoing sustainability system, RSB Services
Foundation, the implementing entity of the RSB, helps companies manage
their risk and increase shareholder and consumer confidence through the
certification of their businesses. More information about RSB
certification can be found at
www.rsbservices.org.
Media Contacts:
John Williams
Scoville PR for LanzaTech
jwilliams@scovillepr.com
+1-206-625-0075
Helena Kennedy
Director of Communications at RSB Services Foundation
hkennedy@rsbservices.org
+1-703-725-4626
